February 2013

We have been making a real effort to get out and about with great results! We have had some awesome bike rides, great walks the boys were happy to do and we have seen some Super 15's rugby. The local team is the Highlanders so we are now fans even they lost.

Morning Star Reserve in Arthurs Point

We are very excited about moving into our new house, only four weeks to go, and we wanted to visit Arthurs Point again. On the way we stopped at The Old Shotover Bridge to check out the cycle track which looked great. We then drove to Morning Star reserve which is next to the Shotover Jet. There is a half an hour walk to the beach which actually was a beach, the closest we will get round here! We then moved onto the Cafe next to the Shotover Jet which is awesome because you get entertained by spinning Jet boats as you have a drink. It's a stunning location with great coffee, even better - its a five minute walk from our new house!

Lake Alta

The thirteen km drive to the top of The Remarkables is a slight concern for me and I felt we needed to drive up in the Summer so we know what we have to face in the winter!  To be fair the drive although quite steep is not too bad with barriers in the right places, however 1 km from the top the barriers disappear and its really tight so not sure what will happen there during the snow and ice.  Something to look forward to I suppose!  

From the base of the ski field is a 45 min walk to Lake Alta which after the steep gravel road to the top of the ski field was good fun - full of rocks, bridges and bogs to explore.  Alex even had a dip in the glacial lake once we got there.  Tom and I settled for a much more sensible option of finding some snow and having a snowball fight!

Walking to the top of the Gondola

Darran, a member of RPS, asked if we wanted to do the walk as our better halves went to do some Yoga. Amazingly the boys were keen so it was early start before it got too hot. The walk was under the trees so it wasn't too bad although it got pretty steep at times.

Oli, the Lorax, was concerned about some trees that had been cut down but fortunately Darran explained that the fur trees were harming the other trees and some more were being replanted. The Lorax was smiling again.

After dodging the mountain bikers we reached the top to enjoy the spectacular views, Alex and I did - Tom and Oli sat inside an old Gondola cabin the whole time laughing! After some L&P, lollies and making them look at some of the views - we headed back down. I also gazed down the road to Arthurs Point thinking what might be. Watch this space.

The return trip was excellent because their were loads more bikers doing crazy jumps etc and we also saw some zip line stuff too. Thomas was particularly excited as he believed he found Gollum's cave, too hard to explain.

What a day!

We were scheduled to meet Nikki and Steve at four but also promised Grant that we would meet him at Kelvin Grove. What didn't help was that Kelvin Grove is not on Google Maps and we couldn't find it so we took about an hour to find him. It was worth it. He spent next hour taking the boys out on a jet ski and also biscuiting (dragged behind a doughnut). They loved it, he even let Alex drive around for a bit.

We left just after four to meet Steve and Nikki at Arthurs Point. Their Bach was on Watties Track and twisted its way up the mountain - just as well we have a four wheel drive drive! Steep drops etc. As we came round we realised the Bach was literally sitting on the top, the views were ridiculous! There was plenty of land for the boys to runaround and entertain themselves till dark so the adults had a great BBQ and beer!

As Fran and I drove back we spoke about how beautiful Arthurs Point is and that we would love to live there. Watch this space!

Lake Hayes Track

10 minutes drive from our house is Lake Hayes and we are keen to get the boys used to walking/cycling so a 2/3 hour walk should be a nice easy start. Looking back you can see a beach and a pontoon in the lake but no temptation.

To be fair to them it was pretty hot and it took a lot of discussions about Dr Who to get them through it. The track was great although not sure they could cycle it yet, the water was freezing. It took us about four hours to get round and the boys went to bed quietly when we got back so they found it hard. The last photo was taken at around 9 and its light till about 10 so long summer nights! The boys are going to bed very late at the moment, nightmare.

Frankton track to Kelvin Grove

We are living half way up the mountain so travelling down to the track was an experience in itself. Tom refused to ride down as the brakes were not to be trusted so Alex, Oli and I had to wait near the bottom for them.

We met the Pettigrews at the Boatshed Cafe which was a stunning location and the coffee was pretty good too!

Once we were on the track it was fantastic fun and the track had great blend of dips and turns for the boys to feel 'extreme!' Crossing the bridge was very exciting and there were a couple of very cool swings the boys had to stop and enjoy.

Goodbye to Pettigrews with a Fergburger

After four or five days of negotiating for a house it was great to have Nikki and Steve to keep us sane. Henry is a close friend of Alex and his brother Joe became a great friend of Oli. We went for a farewell Fergburger and a drink on the Queenstown beach. You can't go wrong with either a Southern Swine or a Chief Wiggum. Alex and Henry disappeared to build a dam whilst Tom, Joe and Oli played in the pay area. The adults enjoyed a drink and the stunning weather, 34 at one stage. Hottest time is between 4-5, takes some getting used to.